


smoke

by softgrungeprophet



Category: Fantastic Four
Genre: Friendship/Love, Gen, Hugs, Loneliness, Smoking, Unspoken Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 13:24:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20436755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softgrungeprophet/pseuds/softgrungeprophet
Summary: Aren't I important to you?





	smoke

Everything was fine, and definitely not bad, and Johnny was fine, and—

"Smoke?"

"Hm?" Johnny feigned his smoothest, most aloof demeanor. "Oh, of course." Always pretending. 

So he let a beautiful stranger balance a cigarette between his stained lips but held up a finger with a coy smile and pulled away when they offered a light. What was the fun, after all, in being a high-powered celebrity if you couldn’t pull a party trick now and then? The tip smoldered , and the stranger uttered a small noise of surprise—or excitement? Didn't matter. Johnny turned his back to them with a slow exhale, wreathing himself in foul smoke.

He didn't normally do this.

The taste, the smell, the texture... All repellant.

But...

"You know those things'll kill you."

Johnny coughed a little. "Yeah?" He composed himself, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "So what?"

Wyatt sighed. "Johnny." He reached out and took Johnny's cigarette, gentle—and Johnny let him. Let him ash it on the brick wall as he spoke in a low, low voice. "This isn't you."

No, it wasn't.

"Maybe I want it to be."

"Do you?"

No.

"Why do _you_ care, anyway?" Johnny leaned against the wall with frown, crossing his arms.

For a moment, Wyatt just looked at him, and Johnny avoided that look, until Wyatt said, "Why shouldn't I?" His eyebrows pushed together, frustrated. "Why do I need a _reason_ to care about you, Johnny? Do you really think I'm that selfish?"

Johnny didn't answer. Guilty.

Quietly, trying to hide how insecure he felt, how his voice wanted to tremble but he wouldn't let it—

"W-when's your flight?"

That stupid stutter.

"Three hours."

Three hours until something he'd been avoiding thinking about for _months_.

"Why—w-why are you l-leaving—" Johnny let his head fall back against the wall in frustration. "_Fuck_."

Wyatt sighed. "Johnny..."

Johnny was being unfair. He knew it. They both knew it.

But still, Wyatt spoke gently, far too considerate. "You survived without having me around for years before _and_ after we met. You'll be fine."

Johnny shook his head, tightening his arms around himself, though he inched closer to Wyatt, until their arms brushed just slightly. He wanted to press into his body, solid and warm and unyielding. He wanted Wyatt to take ahold of him like he always did. Wanted him to be firm, stubborn, well-meaning. Of course, that was exactly what he was doing already, in a way. Wasn't it? By comforting Johnny while holding to his decision?

"Things are di-different now."

"_How_ are they different, Johnny?" Wyatt looked at him, right through him, earnest and calm and genuinely asking. Wanting to know and understand his thoughts.

God, why was he so _good_ to Johnny?

"Be—because..." Johnny scuffed his shoe against the concrete. "Because... Reasons."

Wyatt let out a soft huff of laughter, jostling Johnny slightly with his elbow before tugging him close, half embrace, half headlock simply because he was so tall. "You are _impossible_."

He rested his chin on the top of Johnny's head, bringing his other arm up around Johnny's head as well. Johnny hugged him back, and they stood quietly together like that for what felt like a long time, but was likely only a few seconds. Wyatt breathing slowly, Johnny leaning into his touch. The distant sound of people laughing, and the shadows of the streetlights.

Eventually, Wyatt murmured, "You'll be okay." He shifted slightly, his nose brushing Johnny's hair. "It's only a year."

"I don't wanna be alone." Johnny mumbled into Wyatt's neck, squeezing him tighter. "I—I don't wanna be lonely."

"You have other friends." Wyatt pulled back slightly, not enough to dislodge Johnny, but enough to take him by the shoulders and meet his eyes. "Family."

Johnny lifted his hands to Wyatt's shoulders, mirroring his stance for just a moment, then up on his tiptoes to loop his arms around Wyatt's neck. Wyatt responded in kind, moving to hold Johnny against him. He was warm, with his palm pressed against the back of Johnny's head. The smell of his cologne filling Johnny's nose.

Quietly, Wyatt murmured. "You make this so difficult..."

"So don't go." Johnny nestled further into him. Wanted to stay like that forever, with his nose pressed to Wyatt's neck. He breathed in. Leather, citrus; a little woody, a little heady.

Johnny knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Stay with me."

Wyatt sighed, with his arms firmly locked around Johnny.

"This is important to me, Johnny."

The gentleness with which he spoke...

Johnny could have asked, _"Aren't I important to you?"_

But he didn't.

He knew what it was like to be manipulated, and he wouldn't do that to someone else. Certainly not to maybe the only person who'd never hurt him. Who'd always been there for him when he needed it most.

So instead he mumbled, "Okay."

And, "I won't make you stay."

And, "Promise you'll call me at least once a month."

Wyatt laughed, gently. "I'll call you every day."

Johnny smiled against his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> what's better than this?! guys bein dudes
> 
> don't ask me where or why wyatt is going cause I have no idea. could be a residency, could be a special exchange class, I dunno. i need to read more comics with him.
> 
> I kinda took inspiration for wyatt's cologne from a few different ones... notes of leather, orange, lime, musk, jasmine, frankincense, cedar, etc...
> 
> u can bet johnny is wearing perfume too and it's probably La Rive "In Flames" lmfao (supposed to be a very tropical scent) Maybe? Maybe I did just pick it for the name XD   
Kusado "Sensu" perhaps... Bois 1920 "Spigo"...
> 
> While I put Wyatt with a very heavy, masculine, leathery smell, with some citrus and some woodiness and so on.... (and probably sweat) Johnny strikes me as wearing fresher smells that also complement his natural butane stank, or perhaps more incense-y smells....   
Headcanon: He has different scents for different moods and at least one of those is a geranium-heavy, grandma-ass perfume, and you know what—it suits him. Definitely feminine cause if the comics are gonna have people insulting him for being effeminate I'm going to MAKE him effeminate goddammit. Johnny wears women's perfume now.  
So anyway, geranium or rose perfumes, tropical perfumes, green and spicy perfumes, and smoky oceanic or rainy perfumes... that's johnny. a whole countertop of perfume and cologne and eau d'whatever. He def probably has a more incense-y, ambery perfume too though. for sexy nights. 
> 
> When he was a teenager he doused himself in AXE but he's spent his young adulthood experimenting with scents and more fancy, expensive perfumes and realized you know what maybe he LIKES to smell like an old lady's couch, or an import shop, or a fruit smoothie. 
> 
> knocked on my ass by a new ship... always a rarepair XD


End file.
